Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Cremation in the Bible?

I’ve always been impressed by the different, detailed burying
practices in the Bible.

Abraham insisted
on paying for a cave in the field of Machpelah, Hebron, for the purpose of
burying his wife, Sarah. (Genesis
23:1-20) Abraham was later buried there, too. (Genesis 25:8-10)

Isaac was
buried by his sons in the cave of Machpelah. (Genesis 35:29; 49:31)

Jacob passed away
in Egypt, was mummified—a forty-day process—and carried back to Canaan for
burial. A great cortege from Pharaoh’s house traveled with Joseph to bury his
father. (Genesis 50:1-7)

Josephdied . . . and
they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt (Genesis 50:26). Many years later, the Israelites buried
Joseph’s body—which they had taken out of Egypt in the exodus—in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of
the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it
became the inheritance of the children of Joseph (Joshua 24:32b).

Mosesdied in
Moab, and God buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but
no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day (Deuteronomy 25:6).

Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and
lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah (1 Samuel 25:1a).

David was
buried in the city of David (1 Kings 2:10). Solomon and many other kings of
Israel were also buried in the city of David.

Jesus’ body
was wound with linen and spices and placed in a new tomb, near Calvary. (John
19:38-42)

With all the obvious care taken in Bible burials, many
Christians have buried an intact corpse in a crypt or in the ground.

When we moved to Spain,I was surprised by the customs in
this region. Here, there isn’t much land space available for cemeteries, so
they build concrete “apartment buildings” of niches. The casket slides into an
open niche, which is sealed by a brick mason. Most of these niches are above
ground, like drawers in very large dressers. A very few wealthy people own
their own pantheons, which are basically the same thing, only in a family unit
with a roof, like a small house.

The deceased person only occupies the drawer for a
limited amount of time, usually around ten years. Then, the remains are taken
out, dumped into a pit of calcium, and dissolved. The family is notified when
this will happen and may choose to be present or not. So, even if the body was
“buried,” it’s only there for a relatively short time, and then the casket and remains
are destroyed.

I first became interested in this subject years ago,when
acquaintances chose to cremate the body of a loved one for easy repatriation
back to their home country. To move a corpse would have cost many thousands of
dollars, while transporting an urn was cheaper and much simpler.

Around that time, I read a fascinating set of articles,
including the one you can access here.

Later, as I was reading my Bible through, I came across
this passage: All
the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons
from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days (1 Samuel 31:12). It left me scratching my head. Why did
these brave men burn King Saul’s and the princes’ bodies instead of burying
them? These valiant men risked their lives to go and get their bodies. They honored
them. So, why did they cremate their bodies? Continuing the reading of this
passage, nothing in the biblical context indicates that they were wrong to do
so. (They did later bury their bones.)

Since my first interest in this
burial versus cremation issue, I’ve known several people who passed away and
were cremated for different reasons, lack of finances being the main reason. So,
I did some research to see the difference: A normal Basque region funeral,
including same-day burial (no embalming, here), casket, and niche will run into
the thousands of euros—usually around 5,000. Cremation costs between 150-300
euros. The urns can be inexpensive or very costly, depending on materials.
Again, here, the remains are only in the niche (or ground) for a few years, and
then they’re cleaned out and disposed of. (Is it any wonder that cremation is
growing in popularity?)

In different areas of the
world, because of space issues, predominant religions, and other cultural
traditions, the dead are treated in different ways. (Thanks, missionary
friends, for your help!)

In Japan—Space is at a
premium. Cremation is mandatory with very
few exceptions. I understand that a Christian group owns a burial plot for
its people. The emperor, for example, wouldn’t be cremated.

Where Hinduism is the prominent religion—Almost everyone is cremated and their ashes sprinkled into
a river. Sometimes, they will bury a child’s body, but not always. There are a
few Christian cemeteries.

Muslim burials are
done within twenty-four hours and follow a washing and shrouding ritual. There
is no casket, and the shrouded body is buried in the earth. Muslims do not
admit cremation, but they do allow for sea burials.

Christians in some of these countries bury in order to demonstrate the differencein theirbeliefs.They don’t wish to identify with the pagan practices
around them. This obvious difference in the treatment of the dead can be a
witness that they sorrow not, even as others which have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13b).

Which brings us back to our question: Is there a biblically
prescribed “right way” to deal with a corpse? Let’s go to the Bible and see exactly what it teaches.

Is there biblical precedent for
burial in a cave/niche? Yes.

Is there biblical precedent for
burial in the ground? Yes.

Is there biblical precedent for
mummification/embalming? Yes.

Is there biblical precedent for
cremation? Yes.

Were true believers’ bodies
treated in all four of these ways? Yes.

Is there a biblical command to
put a person’s body away in a specified manner? No.

My conclusion?After
delving into this subject, I believe we have Christian liberty to decide for
ourselves.

What is your personal preference?

Where do you live—culture,
religion, customs—and how does that factor into your decision?

Consider your family. Are they
opposed to cremation?

Is cost an important
consideration?

As born again Christians, we have the blessed hope of a
resurrected body.God can do that with no
trouble at all. I don’t pretend to understand how, but He can find cells,
ashes, persons buried at sea, and whatever He has to do. Nothing is too hard
for Him!

But if the Spirit
of him that raised up Jesus from the dead
dwell in you,

he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (bring to life)

your mortal bodies
by his Spirit that dwelleth in you (Romans
8:11).

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption;

it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in
dishonour; it is raised in glory:

it is sown in weakness; it is raised in
power: It is sown a natural body;

it is raised a spiritual body. There is a
natural body, and there is a spiritual body. . . .

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Hi and welcome to In the Way! I explore many subjects, striving always to present them from a biblical viewpoint. Feel free to browse the tabs at the top for general categories. If you don't see what you're looking for, use the search button below. I'm a pastor's wife, mother of two, grandma, teacher, author, and blogger. I live in a quaint little village in the beautiful Basque region of northern Spain.

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Lou Ann is a young-thinking grandma with an infectious laugh. She rejoices in nature and other beautiful things--including people! She's an avid writer and practices several other artistic expressions, like singing when no one's listening, calligraphy, photography, and even "serious art." Lou Ann loves her Lord Jesus Christ, family, and her church.